Unicorns and Gryphons
by Lynx Gunning
Summary: Inu-yasha is thought to be dead.Sessho-maru was the only person that could help Kagome,but why does he?Sess/Kag.Chars. meant to be OOC.Please R&R!
1. He's Gone

Alright, now you know what happens when Hoosiers get a snow day. Or at least in my case. I write fanfics! Woohoo! I think this'll be the second one I've started today. Bleh, I'm bored.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha. I wish I did, but that'll happen at the apocalypse! So, la-dee-da.  
  
One note: I do own the dragoner, Zira. Disney does not own the name coz it's Swahili for 'hate' or 'anger.' Meant as a joke, because, as you will see, Zira does not hate.  
  
Hmm... Oh right! Sess/Kag story. Rin's not in this one, though. Sorry.  
  
`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`' `'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'  
  
Kagome lay unconscious in the grass beside a massive crater. The crater that Naraku was, of course, responsible for. The sme scene played back again and again in her sub-conscious. The giant blast that caused her friends to disappear, and that must have taken Naraku with it, because she was still alive. The sonic blast from the explosion had knocked her back and into her unconscious state. If Naraku hadn't disappeared with the others once the blast had dissipated, he would have finished Kagome off. But, as she was still alive, there was no way Naraku had survived it.  
  
Her mind was coming back into reality, but only faintly, most likely because somebody had moved her.  
  
Kagome opened her eyes to an extremely blurry world, that came into minimal focus for only a short while. Her last sight before she passed out again was who she though to be Inu-Yasha, but her sub-conscious kept telling her that he wasn't there anymore. But she blacked out before recognition hit, and her final feeling was that of being lifted from the ground before everything went out entirely.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kagome woke up fully to find herself in a large bed under silk sheets. She blinked several times to make sure she wasn't seeing things. The room she was in seemed immaculately white, save for the golden tint of sunlight flooding in through a large window to her left. And if she though the window was big, she hadn't really noticed the rest of the room. It was huge!  
  
"I see you've finally come round," a friendly female voice said calmly from beside her.  
  
When Kagome saw the 'woman', though, she wished everything she was seeing WAS a dream. The creature looked remotely reptilian, with mottled brown, scaly skin; a long, thick tail; and claws and talons that could have gored something at the slightest touch. The one thing that didn't quite seem reptilian were the large, upright ears that were so thin, they were almost semi-transparent. The thing's eyes were also a surprise: they were wide and friendly, with a laughing expression to them.  
  
"We were hoping you weren't dead. My name is Zira," the creature said, offering a talon to shake. Kagome took it stiffly, and pulled her hand back quickly. "You don't need to be afraid of me, m'lady. I'm just a humble servant. I'm not here to hurt you."  
  
Zira smile patiently and reached for a broken jewel on the bedside table. She lifted it up so Kagome could see it. It was the Shikon no Tama, or what Kagome had found of it. "My master says this thing must have saved your life," Zira said in amazement. "You're awful lucky he found you. You were nearly dead when you got here!" She cocked her head to one side curiously. "Don't you talk?"  
  
"Hai," Kagome said defensively.  
  
Zira raised her talons in mock offense. "Pardon me, m'lady! I didn't mean it as an insult!"  
  
"So, where am I?" Kagome asked, trying to sound kinder. Zira obviously didn't mean any harm to her.  
  
"My master said that when you finally woke up, to give you two choices," Zira said brusqely. She had all together ignored Kagome's question. "Your first choice, is that you can just leave, and search for your friends, or stay here for a while. I'm afraid there's no alternative."  
  
"Where am I, first of all?" Kagome tried again.  
  
Zira stood up abruptly, setting the Shikon no Tama back on the table. She was definately hiding something. Walking to the door, she paused to say, "My master would like it if you stayed." She looked forlornly back at Kagome, awaiting her answer.  
  
Kagome sat up, and snapped harshly, "I'm not answering until you tell me where I am, or who your 'master' is!"  
  
Zira flinched under the severe tone of Kagome's voice. Her master had never yelled at her, and she didn't like it. "M'lady, I am sorry, but it is not of my free will to tell you that. If you wish, though, I can find him and ask him to come to you. It is only his right to tell you who he is and where you are."  
  
"Fine then. If that's the way this low-life will have it, then send him here!"  
  
Zira nodded and left quickly. A few moments later, she had returned. "Miss, my master has agreed to see you. I, uh, I must leave now. I have an errand or two to attend to, and I may not return until sunset." She left again, but Kagome heard a familiar voice in the hallway.  
  
"Zira, take Jakkin with you, would you? If he gives you any trouble, tell him he is to come on my orders. Tell him, too, that if he has the nerve to question your honesty, Zira, that he can ask me about it."  
  
"Yes, m'lord," Zira whispered.  
  
Kagome heard her trot off down the hall. Her claws and big feet made her terribly noisy while walking on wood, and Kagome wondered how her master slept at night hearing that every so often. She heard the half-open door slide open then shut again, but she couldn't see who it was because of the barrier between the door and the rest of the room.  
  
"So," that oh-so familiar voice started, "that damned jewel saved your life again. You've been lucky since you've come here, Kagome. Judging by that crater I saw, that blast was enough to create a magic cataclysm."  
  
'What does he mean `magic cataclysm`? And how does he know my name?' Kagome thought fearfully.  
  
She decided to brave a few words. "W-who are you?"  
  
"Kagome, I'm surprised that you don't recognize me. I'm hurt," the voice said in mock pain. "If you haven't figured it out by now, then you must have hit your head harder than I thought. What happened to Inu-yasha and your other weakling friends?"  
  
Before Kagome could answer, the door slid open once more, and a very digruntled, annoying voice shouted, "Lord Sessho-maru, why would you make me go with that wretched dragoner, Zira!? Are you mad!?"  
  
'Sessho-maru!? Oh God, no. Anybody but him! I have to get out of here without having to pass him!' Kagome thought frantically.  
  
"I'm not mad, Jakkin, I just want you out of the way for a few hours," Sessho-maru answered calmly.  
  
"But, Lord Sessho-maru! Couldn't you kill the girl with me here? I promise I won't get in the way!"  
  
Sessho-maru growled impatiently. "I don't intend on killing her, you idiot! Now get out of my sight before I kill you!"  
  
"But- "  
  
SLAM! The door slammed shut in Jakkin's face. "Impudent little-" Sessho- maru continued to call Jakkin as many mean, spiteful names that he could dream up. When his anger had finally subsided, he turned from the door and walked evenly into the room. Anger management was only Sessho-maru's strong point when he really wanted it to be.  
  
He stared intently at Kagome, who was still on the bed but about ready to bolt for the window if she needed to. She was shaking with fear by now, because she realized there was no way she would be able to make it halfway across a room that size before Sessho-maru could react.  
  
"I honestly don't intend on killing you, you know? And I doubt you'd make it two meters from that bed anyways. You've broken both your ankles. The only reason you don't feel it is because I had Zira use a spell that numbs it entirely. But the minute you put too much pressure on it, the spell breaks and you'll feel all the built-up pain. An unrealiable spell, yes, but if you do not move too much it will keep the pain away until the injury is healed properly. At least as far as Zira has told me. I'm no sorceror or healer, so I would have no idea," Sessho-maru said, almost like he was enjoying the look on Kagome's face; an expression somewhere between fear and anger.  
  
Sessho-maru continued to move closer as he was saying all this, and had made it to the side of the bed where Zira had been only moments before by the time he had finished explaining his limited knowledge on this 'spell' Zira had used. He sat down on the bed as he picked up the Shikon jewel and examined it as closely as his :currently: short attention span would allow.  
  
"This little thing is quite amazing. It has the power to both destroy and protect, depending on its owner. There aren't many things in this world that are capable of such a power," Sessho-maru said absentmindedly, almost as if talking to himself, as he set the jewel back on the table. He turned as best he could to face Kagome, who was shrunk back on the opposite corner of the bed. "You're going to fall off, you do realize that, don't you? Listen, I already told you: I'm not going to hurt you."  
  
"How do I know you're not lying?" Kagome challenged, sounding braver than she felt.  
  
"Because Inu-yasha isn't around anymore for me to get any joy out of it. He's no longer with you, which means I wouldn't be able to savor that look of loss when I kill you." He smiled, which was even scarier. "He's not here for you anymore, Kagome. If I had any idea where he was, you know I would already have gone after him. I don't know what happened to make him just disappear like that. There was nothing left except that crater near the area where I found you."  
  
Kagome knew Sessho-maru was telling the truth, but it didn't make her feel any better. 'Inu-yasha... gone? But, how?' Her vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears. Inu-yasha gone? She didn't know how she could live with that. That was the one thing that broke her, the one thing she couldn't stand to hear: ''He's not here for you anymore..." She closed her eyes as the tears finally came. 'He's gone...'  
  
Kagome had no idea what was going on, but one minute, she was huddled on the end of the bed crying, next minute, someone was holding her. She wanted to think that it had all been a nightmare, and she would wake up to find herself in Inu-yasha's arms. But she knew that couldn't be true, because Inu-yasha didn't wear that all-too familiar armor. It didn't make sense, though. Why should Sessho-maru care about her? All he ever wanted was Inu- yasha's damn sword!  
  
The thought of crying herself to sleep in Sessho-maru's arms wasn't what Kagome had ever had in mind, but that didn't mean she could stop it from happening. And she had never expected to hear him say a certain five words that she could never remember Inu-yasha saying, either.  
  
"I'll never leave you, Kagome."  
  
And with those five final words, Kagome fell asleep yet again.  
  
`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`' `'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'  
  
:yawn: Blah blah blah blah... noooo! I'm still bored! Aww man! Guess I get to work on the next chapter, then, huh? Hehe. 


	2. The Unicorn Staff: 1

Ryuu Girl mentioned that the characters seemed OOC. Well, for those of you who are thinking the same thing, they're meant to be. Fanfiction is so hard for me to write because I'm forced to stay within the boundaries of the characters and places. And remember, I don't even have any idea when this is supposed to take place, so their personalities could have changed slightly between the time that the show takes place in to whenever this is supposed to be happening.  
  
Disclaimer: I'm on a sugar/caffeine high right now and can't think clearly, so we shall ask the Horsey Calendar (inside joke). Me: Do I own Inu-yasha? Horsey Calendar: I don't know. I can't see anything from the wall you hung me on! Me: (jabs at Horsey Calendar with thumb tack) Do I, Almighty Horsey Calendar of Doom? The Almighty Horsey Calendar of Doom: (whiney voice) No? Me: Riiiiight...  
  
Okay, that was fun. Yes, The Almighty Horsey Calendar of Doom DOES talk to Lynx. Hehe... Lynx is talking in third person again! Mwahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ooooooh... Pepsi and cupcakes!!! :demented laughter:  
  
''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"` "`"`"`"`"`"  
  
It was after sunset by the time Kagome had reawoken (A/N: Is 'reawoken' a word?). She had had a nightmare about the explosion. Again. She could already tell this was recurring, and it wouldn't go away for a long time. Looking around the room, Kagome finally realized that she wasn't with Inu- yasha anymore. She was at Sessho-maru's castle. (A/N: Jeezum, I'm surrounded by slow ppl!) At least, she thought it was Sessho-maru's castle.  
  
"Zira?" Kagome called into the darkness. No answer. "Zira!"  
  
"Quiet, m'lady! I'm here. You'll wake Lord Sessho-maru! Believe me, miss, you don't want to do that," Zira hissed.  
  
"What is bothering you?"  
  
Kagome looked around, but all she could see of Zira were her glowing eyes, which reflected the minimal starlight like a cat's eyes. Looking back to her left, Sessho-maru's silvery hair shined in the moonlight. He was stretched out on his side on the opposite half of the bed, having fallen asleep shortly after Kagome had. "Nothing. I just had this terrible feeling that I was alone," she murmered.  
  
Zira laughed quietly. "Miss, that man hasn't left you while you're sleeping since you came here, except for this afternoon."  
  
Kagome was more than glad that the room was dark, because she didn't want Zira to notice her blushing. "Zira, when will I be able to leave this room?"  
  
"As soon as that wretched nuisance, Jakkin, returns from fixing that cheap old stick some old man claimed was a magical demon's staff. Magical my foot. The damn thing's about as useful as a dead dog!"  
  
'Dead dog...' Kagome remembered Inu-yasha for a moment. 'No! Sessho-maru said he was gone for good! If he was still alive, he woud have already found me, or Sessho-maru would be after him and not here... with me. Then,' she looked back over at Sessho-maru's still form, 'he's a dead dog, like Zira said.'  
  
"Zira!"  
  
Zira turned around to face the angry little demon, who had apparently been poking at her for the past minute. She ground her beak, an unnerving sound that sent a shiver down Kagome's spine. "Did you finish the job, frog- face?" The dragoner snapped. Jakkin may have been seen as a higher rank than Zira in Sessho-maru's eyes, but when the great youkai was asleep or wasn't around at all, Zira used her advantage of size and brute strength to an unbelievable degree, which she displayed pointedly by yanking the staff from Jakkin's hands and sending him crashing into the wall with one quick flip of her tail.  
  
"This is the staff I mentioned, m'lady," Zira said in a calming tone, raising the staff up to catch the moonlight. It was painted an emerald green with intricate silver metalwork detailing the entire length of the wood. Near the top of it, there was a sheath of tiger fur. From the fur hung feathers of all tones: cheetah-spots, tiger-stripes, shimmering cerulean and indigo, and an ice-like tone that changed shades in different light; some buckskin threads, like those that the feathers hung from, were decorated with beads. "The beads are made from the horns of unicorns who have died. They have powerful healing properties, and use a special magic called Dragon Magic. Dragon Magic is what keeps all so-called 'mythical' creatures like dragon, unicorns, and even demons alive," Zira whispered dramatically. (A/N: Think of those uber-annoying drama queens from school. You know? The ones you wanted to shoot every time you saw them? Yeah, that's Zira.) The beads were painted in all different animal-skin patterns: tiger-stripes, leopard-spots, painted dog patterns, and even white tiger- stipes.  
  
"It's beautiful," Kagome murmered.  
  
"It was Lord Sessho-maru's own design. All these things were what me and Jakkin bartered for today. We had an amazingly skilled metal-worker create the silver casing. The tiger fur is from a friend who is visiting from across the eastern ocean. He's a master tanner," Zira said quietly. She seemed quite proud at how well she had traded to get these services. And rightfully so. The tanner she spoke of didn't come to Japan very often, and when he did, his furs got a little pricey.  
  
"Did you say 'across the eastern ocean'?" Kagome asked quickly, before Zira could get into any details about where she got half the things on the staff.  
  
"Yes I did. From a land that nobody here has ever seen across the ocean on the eastern coast of our country. Some rumors say it is a tiny island, but the tanner said that where he was from, the land was massive. He has mentioned several small islands between there and here, though, but nothing of any real importance," Zira answered.  
  
'America?' Kagome thought. 'Impossible! Nobody in this era has the technology to make it across the Pacific Ocean alive! How could this tanner make it across?'  
  
"M'lady, forgive me, but I took that large piece of paper that you had with you that Lord Sessho-maru had found. It looked like a map, but I only recognized the island that said 'Japan.' The tanner asked to look at it," Zira opened up a map she had been hiding in the pocket of her pants. She pointed a talon at the large country with 'United States of America' printed in bold letters on it. "He said this is where he was from. He then gave me something he called a 'photo' of the boat he used to cross the ocean." Zira pulled out a color photo of a small battleship and showed it to Kagome. "He called it the 'U.S.S. Alabama'. What does that mean?"  
  
Kagome gasped. 'What!? How could anyone in this era manage to get a U.S. battleship?' She looked up from the picture of the "Alabama" and said to Zira, "This is a World War Two battleship apparently belonging to the U.S. They were giant compared to any of the boats in this era. If I'm right, this boat would be from about five hundred years in the future!"  
  
Zira blinked confusedly. "How would you know?"  
  
"Because she is from the future as well, wench!" Jakkin said loudly. "She came through the well that Sessho-maru's father had built as a portal between this era, and, at the time he built it, the era of this 'World War Two'."  
  
Zira was near to knocking the obnoxious little imp unconcious, but Kagome stopped her. "Jakkin, what do you mean 'the well that Sessho-maru's father built'? You don't mean to tell me that there was a link between this era and mine since the 1930's!?"  
  
"Well of course there was! Lord Sessho-maru's father needed a quick way to get to the war, as he fought in most of it! Sessho-maru himself has seen the war. He has been to 1941 Germany! How do you think he got so smart about the world?"  
  
"Well, sorry! I never noticed that Sessho-maru showed absolutely no knowledge whatsoever about my era! Pardon my incompetence!" Kagome snapped. Regrettably, she wasn't quiet enough. Or Jakkin hadn't been quiet enough.  
  
"Jakkin, don't be so rude to the lady," Sessho-maru said heavily, putting a hand on Kagome's shoulder, mindful of his claws.  
  
"What!? But, Lord Sessho-maru- I- where did you come from!?" Jakkin shouted, tripping over his own words.  
  
"Wrong answer," Zira hissed, a malicious smile playing on her lips. Bared teeth and flared nostrils showed just how much she was going to enjoy actually seeing Jakkin get, in one word, thrashed. "M'lord, if it pleases thee, I wish to give Jakkin his punishment."  
  
"You assume much, Zira. I alone reserve the right to punish Jakkin," Sessho- maru said sharply. At that, Zira's face fell, as her one chance to let out all her anger and frustration on the little imp disappeared.  
  
"Let her," Kagome whispered. "Let her do it. She deserves it."  
  
Sessho-maru sighed. "Alright. Change of plans, my friend," he sid to Jakkin reluctantly. "Zira will be in charge of your punishment this time. This ONE time." (A/N: Jeez, somebody enjoys kicking Jakkin around a little too much! :points at Fluffy: No, I didn't say anything! No, don't kill me! I've got friends who may actually MISS me!)  
  
Zira snatched up the hopelessly flailing Jakkin and carried him, uncarefully, out of the room. Soon enough, howls could be heard up and down to hall as Zira kicked him towards the yard to be thoroughly beaten.  
  
"I don't think that was a very wise decision, Kagome. I will have to find a new servant once Zira is through with poor Jakkin. Gods forbid I promote that airheaded dragoner," Sessho-maru spat.  
  
"It would probably be for the better. At least she doesn't insult you behind your back, or act rude towards me like Jakkin. And she seems to accept mortals a lot better than Jakkin does," Kagome said huffily (A/N: Is 'huffily' a word, too? Forgive. I'm an idiot.)  
  
"Sorry to tell you this now, but, 'Must like humans' wasn't a requirement for the job application," Sessho-maru shot back sardonically.  
  
'If this is the beginning of an arguement, I'm getting out now. I only argue with Inu-yasha like we were an old married couple!' Kagome thought bitterly. 'I don't think Sessho-maru is the kind one should get into an arguement with anyways, especially since I'm injured and at his mercy. I make him mad, he might change his mind entirely and throw me out. Then I wouldn't have anybody to care for me! Oh, great. I'm starting to rely on him to take care of me in my time of need. That can't be good!'  
  
During the confrontation between the four of them, the sun had started to rise without anyone's noticing it. Gold and red light streamed through the window, making the room look to all the world like some major battle had been fought there; every wall and object and living creature seemed blood- stained. It was unnerving yet oddly enchanting at the same time. Through the window, the day looked like it was going to be sunnier than the day before, and Kagome was glad to have that staff. She was hoping to enjoy the beauty of the castle grounds for the first time.  
  
''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`''`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"`"` "`"`"`"`"`"  
  
Well, I'm not sure if that's a cliffhanger for ya, but I'll try and get the next chapter up soon as possible. If it's not up by tonight, it won't be up tomorrow, either. Damn science fair!  
  
Me: Fluffy, would you be so kind as to turn my school into a parking lot for me? Sessho-maru: Don't call me Fluffy. Me: Fine then, dog-man! Blow up my friggin' school for me already! Sessho-maru: You're awful rude. Me: DIE DEMON!!! :jumps on Sessho-maru and starts strangling him:  
  
Hehe... I'm so mean to poor old Fluffy! ;D  
  
Sessho-maru: DON'T CALL ME FLUFFY!!!!!! 


	3. The Unicorn Staff: 2

Heh, yeah. I may be typing this today, but that doesn't mean it'll get uploaded! My aunt has only dial-up, and her Internet doesn't like me, so I'll have to wait till tomorrow to upload once I get back to my broadband at home. Bleh. I like that word! Bleh. Hehe.  
  
Disclaimer: Ooh, disclaimer fun! This time it will be. Sage the Wonder Lion!  
  
Sage: /snore/  
  
Me: /pokes Sage/ Sage-y, wake up! I need you to tell all these perfect people something.  
  
Sage: /snore/  
  
Me: /punches Sage/ (screaming): SAGE! WAKE UP!!!  
  
Sage: /snore/  
  
Me: You're hopeless. Useless lion.  
  
Sage: /snore/  
  
Me: Fine then. I don't own Inu-yasha, simple as that! No, you cruddy Microsoft Word! 'Inu-yasha' is NOT spelled wrong! Arrrrgghhh!  
  
Sage: /snore/  
  
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~  
  
"Are you sure this thing will hold out, Sessho-maru?" (A/N: Grr. I hate spell check.) Kagome asked, walking hesitantly with the help of the Unicorn Staff. She was clinging onto it for dear life with hand, while squeezing the life out of poor Sessho-maru's arm.  
  
"Would. you. let. go," Sessho-maru demanded through clenched teeth. Kagome was wearing on his nerves with her incessant cowardly protests, the main one being,  
  
"But you said I wouldn't be able to walk!"  
  
He had tried to explain to her as best he could that the Dragon magic from the unicorn horn beads would act as somewhat of a magical splint, keeping the spell that numbed her ankles from breaking, and making it possible for her to walk, with a limp of course. Kagome had begun to trust him ever so slightly (A/N: Hehe. 'ever so.' Gods help me!) , but it wasn't trust enough for her to allow herself to believe that this Unicorn Staff Sessho-maru had designed would be capable of supporting her.  
  
"Just trust me. You know by now that I wouldn't do anything to seriously harm you because of something I've done," Sessho-maru said quietly. Jakkin still hadn't accepted Kagome's presence in the castle, and it infuriated him to see or hear Sessho-maru being nice to her. That was the last thing the inu-youkai wanted at the moment: a screaming Jakkin. 'I don't need her feeling unwanted. I know I would have Zira all over me about being kind to her and patient with her,' he thought.  
  
Kagome just nodded. 'How am I supposed to belief that this "Unicorn Staff" has the power to keep me from falling flat on my face? Oh, Sessho-maru would just LOVE that. Then he and his little imp could both have a good laugh at other people's expense!' She thought harshly. Sighing, she thought, 'Maybe I'm being too harsh on him. I mean, he HASN'T hurt me yet, like he said he wouldn't. Maybe he's been telling the truth this entire time. But what does he want? What could he possibly gain from helping me?'  
  
Leaning full onto the Unicorn Staff, Kagome slowly released her death-grip on Sessho-maru. And, miraculously, she could stand without assistance and without pain! It was unbelievable, or at least it seemed to be. 'This can't last forever,' Kagome thought fearfully. 'Eventually, the magic would wear off, right?' The thought of falling to her imminent doom, or rather, imminent embarrassment, scared her even more than actually falling, and her balance went out. Trying to take a step, nervous as she was, Kagome tripped over her own feet and, shocked, started leaning a bit too much to the side. (A/N: Hehe. I love making people fall. No wait. Yes. Exactly, what HAVE I been smokin'?) She finally lost all footing, and would have ended up on her back in the grass of the castle grounds. In his own shock, Sessho-maru caught her by the arms and pulled her back up, but couldn't let go until she said she was all right despite his mind yelling at him to just drop her before Jakkin threw a fit.  
  
Not that Kagome was going to say anything in the near future: shock at Sessho-maru's actions caused her voice to catch. 'He saved me AGAIN! What exactly is going on here!?' She turned nervously to face Sessho-maru, who was staring at her blankly with his hands on her arms. 'Huh? HANDS? But.' she broke off her thought as she looked at his left arm, the one that wasn't supposed to be there. In its place was another demon's arm, just as usual; a white-furred werewolf's arm is what it seemed to be, hideous claws and ripped muscles and all. 'He did it again. Why can't he just accept that Inu-yasha cut his arm off? Well, no harm done I suppose; it's not like he's gutted me with those claws yet.'  
  
Suddenly, Sessho-maru remembered himself and abruptly dropped his hands with that 'Tell anyone and I'll knock your freakin' head off' look.  
  
"Sessho-maru?" Kagome started, and she received a look of 'Oh gods! What do YOU want!?' She flinched under his wide-eyed stared, something she never imagined seeing on Sessho-maru's face. "Sessho-maru, why? Why have you saved me and given me your all just to see me happy again?"  
  
"I- I." Sessho-maru stuttered, not knowing how to tell her. He'd hate himself if he lied to her, but the truth would REALLY send her into shock. He settled for the perfect median, "Y- you'll find out e- eventually."  
  
'Wow. Sessho-maru stuttering. That's something you won't hear ever again Kagome!' Kagome thought confusedly, nodding like she understood what he meant. 'Just smile and nod. Act like you get it. Just smile and nod.'  
  
"C'mon. You have to learn to walk with the Staff if you plan on living here with-" Sessho-maru stopped. 'Right. Tell her she's living with you now. I don't think she would like that very much.'  
  
"Live here with?" Kagome prompted. She really wanted to here Sessho-maru say something else that is totally unbelievable; it was quite enjoyable.  
  
Sessho-maru swallowed hard. 'How do I tell her that she cannot go home? She would ask why, and I could never bring myself to tell her that my reason is because I want her to stay here with me.' He shook his head to clear his mind. 'Now or never. There's no other way.' Looking Kagome straight in the eye, he said as calmly as he could manage, "Live here with. with me. Kagome. I- I don't want you to go home."  
  
Kagome was stunned. 'He DOESN'T want me to go home!? He WANTS me to stay here with him!?' She wasn't sure if she had heard correctly. "E- excuse me? D- did you say you D- DON'T want me to go home?"  
  
Sessho-maru nodded. "I don't." He didn't know how else he could tell her, or how he could even make her stay. After all the trouble and pain he had put her and Inu-yasha through, he knew he was pushing his luck making her trust him as much as she already did. "I'm not sure how else I can tell you. I can only tell you straight out that I don't want you to leave me. I know how much you hate me, after what I've done to you and your friends, and I don't ask that you love me. I just ask that you at least stay. You don't realize how lonely it gets here, with just Jakkin and Zira. I want to have somebody who isn't afraid to tell me no, and who doesn't call me 'Lord' or 'Master' every time they speak to me." He looked away from her eyes. He couldn't tell just yet what that emotion was hiding behind those dark gray eyes, and he probably didn't want to. 'I already know. Anger, hatred, sadness, pity. Pity is the worst. I don't need anyone to feel sorry for me. It feels better for people to hate me than to pity me.'  
  
But, Kagome felt something else besides pity and hatred. 'He not only wants me, but he needs me. He needs a mediator, not a servant or slave, and that's the place he knows I can fill. That's why Sessho-maru's been so kind to me for the past two days,' Kagome thought, looking past Sessho-maru's worried face at the sunset that so beautifully framed the silver-haired demon. She never imagined he could look so kind and caring as he did now. 'He's being nice to me, because he's hoping he can change my mind, and make me think that he really is caring. All so I would stay with him to keep him company. And I don't want to think it, but he even looks. handsome, instead of evil or angry like usual. I can't believe I'm actually thinking he looks handsome. It just doesn't seem to fit Sessho-maru.'  
  
Before she could stop herself, and before Sessho-maru could gain the sense to move and spare his dignity, Kagome had her arms around his waist and her face buried in the fluffy, white boa, his heartbeat rhythmically beating in her ears. It was more comforting than the last time, since there were no thoughts of Inu-yasha. Only the hope that maybe SHE could change HIM instead. Sessho-maru had no choice. He put his werewolf's paw behind her head and began stroking her ebony black hair, while he held her lithe body to his with his real hand. He had never felt loved before, not after his father died, and he had forgotten how it seemed to free one's mind from everything. Even if Jakkin walked right up in front of them and started screaming about disgraces and maintaining one's dignity, Sessho-maru wouldn't have cared. There was nothing in the world at that moment that could have made him care about anything or anyone but Kagome, and how she hadn't, against all odds, been angry with him.  
  
"Kagome, I know you haven't even thought this through and I-" Sessho-maru started, but Kagome cut him off.  
  
"Shut up. Just shut up for once."  
  
Sessho-maru bowed his head and listened to the seemingly distant howling of an infuriated Jakkin, who was deftly kicked by a passing Zira.  
  
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~  
  
Yaay! There's your third chapter, yo! And thank you to whoever it was (gods, I forget who!) that corrected my sucky grammar in the last chapter! I hate being corrected, but I owe you that, although it may never be fixed, and I really don't care anyways.  
  
Me: Fluffy! You didn't level the school for me!  
  
Sessho-maru: Like I care.  
  
Me: Well I freakin' do, ya moron! I had to sit in that damn gym for three freakin' hours with a buncha loud-ass eighth graders!  
  
Sessho-maru: Cry me a river, wench.  
  
Me: /pulls out the sword that I didn't get for Christmas so decided to steal/ Take it back, loser! Take it back or yer gonna be the world's first headless dog! /falls over backward from the weight of the sword/  
  
Sessho-maru: /rolls eyes/ You've been asking for that.  
  
Me: I'll get you for this, dog-boy! You'll see! Ow, could you find me a chiropractor? 


	4. He's not REALLY dead!

Gee whiz... Sorry peeps. I usually don't have time to write on the weekends. I write when nobody's home, and well, everybody's home on the weekends. Blah...  
  
Question for the people: Does anybody know how to italicize words. You know, make the letters into italics. I've tried, but it doesn't come up italicized on the site, and I was wondering if there was a special code like [i]this[/i]. Gods forbid that what I just typed works. If it does, I'll shoot myself for your enjoyment.  
  
Dislcaimer: I'm either not in the mood or I've just run out of talking inanimate objects, but I don't feel like writing something stupid for the disclaimer. Hmm... I could write it in German! Nein, too much work. Okay, plain and simple: I don't Inu-yasha nor will I ever. I would put poor Richard through the worst tortures!  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ _____________  
  
'Am I dead?' Inu-yasha thought. 'No. I can't be. If I was dead, I couldn't be thinking I was dead. But, fuck! My head feels like it's been split in two!'  
  
Inu-yasha's eyelids felt like lead (A/N: Is that the right word?), but he fought to open them, just to see where he was. He was greeted by blinding white lights. 'Beautiful. Why couldn't I wake up to a lightless cave or something less painful?'  
  
"He's coming round, sir," said a female voice. "Should I ask-"  
  
"Nein. Give him some time. He's had a shock. Go check on the little kitsune and the two mortals we found by him. And for the gods sake find someone who'll keep an eye on that damn cat without falling asleep!" A man's voice this time, hissing as if trying to keep quiet, but doing a terrible job of it. "Send Stratos to find Sessho-maru."  
  
"No," Inu-yasha argued weakly, "No, don't bring him here. Send the gryphon to find Kagome."  
  
"Quiet boy. You're delirious. Whoever this 'Kagome' is, she must have been found before we got there. Your brother will do you more good than a girl who probably isn't even alive."  
  
"Don't say she's dead, for the gods sake, don't say she's dead!" Inu-yasha howled.  
  
"Feh," the man muttered. "If you weren't my friend's son I would've left you for dead."  
  
Inu-yasha blinked to try to fix his vision, but it did him little good. 'Oh great. What now, a concussion!?' He managed to focus, with much pain and effort, on a tall demon with shimmering gold hair and blood-red eyes.  
  
The demon, whoever it was, had lion's ears that seemed to big to hold up, and were ice white; odd tattoos on his face that looked like black eye patches (A/N: You know like on the Lion King how around their eyes it's a different color? That's what this looks like.); a pure white lion tail with a golden tuft of fur on the end. He wore a tight black shirt under a black leather jacket, with black leather pants and "biker" boots. The shining gold hair was about the same length as Inu-yasha's, but was naturally wavy.  
  
"You. You're my dad's old friend," Inu-yasha said quietly. "You're a shishi- youkai!"  
  
"You know me, Inu-yasha. John Puma Gunning, from America," the demon smiled.  
  
"J. Puma!? We thought you were... dead! How-"  
  
"It takes more than a plane crash to kill a demon, Inu-yasha. You notice you're still alive, after whatever it was that happened to you. Egads, boy, what DID happen to you?"  
  
"Naraku. There was some sort of blast. I don't what happened. I thought I was dead," Inu-yasha said, shaking his head in confusion. "How'd I end up here?"  
  
"A cataclysm. A magical cataclysm... we didn't find you in the same place you fought this 'Naraku.' It sent you somewhere alright. 1940 Lancashire."  
  
"WHAT!? I'm in England!? Kagome. If she wasn't found, then she's still back in my time, in Japan! Johnny, what-"  
  
"GREAT GRANDPA!!!" Somebody down the hall screeched.  
  
Inu-yasha jumped off the couch he had been laying on without any consideration to the throbbing pain in his head and scrambled after Puma toward the scream. The two skidded into a strange sight, one Inu-yasha had been waiting for. Miroku was pinned up against a wall, half a foot off the ground, with claws in his face. A very pissed demon girl had him by the throat with one hand, the other she held in front of his face. She was muttering curses under her breath. When Inu-yasha first looked at her, he could've swore she looked nearly identical to Puma.  
  
"What happened, Lynx!?" (A/N: Yaaaay! I make another cameo appearance! Go me!)  
  
"This guy TOUCHED me, great-grandpa. He TOUCHED me!" Lynx spat, never taking her eyes off Miroku. She said it like touching her would send a person to Hell. Of course, the way Miroku touched most women, he COULD get sent to Hell. But, gods! Lynx looked like a little kid!  
  
"Miroku, have you finally lost it!?" Inu-yasha snapped at him in disbelief. "She's just a kid!" He turned to face Puma. "How old is she Johnny?"  
  
"She's thirteen. Exactly. Mentally, and," Puma lowered his ears and glared at Miroku, "physically."  
  
"Would you be so kind as to put me down now?" Miroku pleaded.  
  
Lynx dropped him, with less kindness than Miroku had expected, but she didn't move away from him immediately, like most women. She just kind of... stood there, facing Puma with her tail whipping back and forth impatiently. Her left ear was twitching, creating a never-ceasing jangle of obsidian and ruby earrings. When Miroku stayed glued to the ground for half a minute, Lynx became fed up with him and yanked him unceremoniously to his feet. When Miroku moved as if to walk away, Lynx kicked his feet out from under him and he crashed to the floor, spread-eagle on his back. She put a foot on his chest and held him to the shag carpeted floor. Grinning at him coyly, she said, "I see our hanyou friend is awake, great-grandpa. Whaja get outta him? He make any sense? This loser," she continued, pressing her foot down harder on Miroku's chest until she got a squeak out of him, "woke up to see me sittin' next to him on the bed and took it as some sort of invitation. Didn't get a word outta him 'cept his name. Miroku, huh? Funny name, buddy." Miroku blinked at her pitifully, looking like a wounded puppy. "Aww, cut the crap, mate. I don't fall for the sick dog shit, y'know? Nice try, though."  
  
"Lynx. Don't be calling Inu-yasha a hanyou. You're a half-breed as well," Puma retorted calmly.  
  
Lynx had been shot. Or at least you would have thought it. "Y-you didn't h- have to tell everyone. T-they don't ALL n-need to know," she stuttered sadly. She slid her foot back to the floor as Puma turned and pulled Inu- yasha out of the room, shutting the door on his way out. "You didn't have to," Lynx whispered to no one in particular. She dropped down to the floor, eyes staring unflinching at the doorway.  
  
Miroku thought she would have cried, or lashed out and started a yelling fit, like Inu-yasha. But, no. It wasn't the reaction that startled him, it was the lack thereof. Her eyes were dead, emotionless, and unfocusing; what she seemed to be intently examining, she really couldn't see. 'She takes it just as hard as Inu-yasha, but she still doesn't try to gut somebody,' Miroku thought.  
  
Lynx flicked her eyes over in his direction. "Inu-yasha hates being called a hanyou because that means he's not one thing or the other. He's something in between, meaning he doesn't fit in. Inu-yasha would be happy just to be mortal, if it would mean he was just like everybody. But, no, I'm NOT like Inu-yasha. I won't settle for being full mortal. I'm too vain to settle for it. I'm self-centered, and I'll be the first to admit it. Becoming a true mortal would kill my ego, thereby killing me," Lynx said soberly. Miroku's eyes flickered as realization struck.  
  
"Y-you could hear my thoughts?" He chanced nervously.  
  
"Of course I can, you twit! Somebody with emotions as strong as your's? Hah! I'd hope I could pick up an THAT. I'm a Seer. A mindreader, fortune teller, whatever. That's entirely from my demon blood, as are my cat fighting skills."  
  
Miroku bowed his head, not daring to look Lynx in the eye lest she rob him of every private thought. Not that Lynx would dare to; she had seen enough horrors in her life that she cared not of the fears and pains of others. Everything that she ever did was all for her: to make her greater, more famous, stronger, and more feared.  
  
Fear. That was the one thing she asked of everybody. She was meant to be feared, at least how she saw it. Nobody chanced a fight with a Gunning, expecially a manic, psychotic murdering Gunning such as Lynx. Killing was not above her, nor was it below her. It was what she used to gain the fear of others: death and murder. Even those who believed her to be their friends. Gods, were they the most vulnerable. Lynx had said it herself once before, and only once before: there would be but one being in this world and the next that would be safe from her bloodlust, the one man who dared to never fear her. Bravery was admirable, but full out defiance when one's life is in danger, that was worthy of something more, something Lynx refused to offer any one person thus far.  
  
"Y'know, most mortal men in your condition would cringe at being forced to even look at me. Many have heard of me, and all fear me. But you, Miroku, you are different from them. You DON'T fear me, you don't flinch and cower at my slightest movement. That," Lynx said admiringly, "is truly remarkable."  
  
"Why should I fear a thirteen-year-old girl who is only half demon. If you were full demon, that would be different," Miroku explained, smiling slightly. "Why don't you try to escape my reach, like most women?"  
  
"I understand what you're playing at, human, and it does not work. I'm from a time where women have as many rights and freedoms as men do, and that makes me a harder target. Everything is of my own free will, it's my decision whether or not you can have me," Lynx answered, her head tilted up to look down at Miroku. "Now, mate, if you'll pardon me, I have to find my glasses. I can't see a damn thing more than two meters away!"  
  
____________________________________________________________________________ _____________  
  
Yaaay! Miroku torture! I've always wanted to do that. The writing style, I do believe, changed part of the way through. Well, I was reading a book by C.J. Cherryh this morning and last night, then I checked out 'Bambi' from the library this afternoon and was reading that. Yes, I like Bambi! Don't diss Bambi, man! Bambi's cool! 


End file.
